Dean Fiala
President
A Rockville resident, Mr. Fiala fell back into theater with RLT in A Flea in her Ear, and hasn’t left since, taking onstage roles in Go Back for Murder and A Christmas Story, and producing several plays including To Kill a Mockingbird and Almost, Maine. A perspiring playwright, he has had ten shows produced. Most recently, he was named “Up and Coming Playwright” for Negotiable Virtue at the Maryland Community Theatre Festival. His theater dream is to play Lady Macbeth. Dean received a BS in Political Science from MIT, and serves as a Managing Director of Software Development for Ankura Consulting in Washington, DC.
Steve Howlett
Vice President
A Rockville resident, Mr. Howlett is the managing partner of Horn and Watson Capital, which specializes in raising debt and equity for infrastructure projects in challenging international markets. In his career, he has raised over $43 billion mainly in the power and transportation sectors. He is married with four teenage children which includes three daughters involved in theater. Mr. Howlett has a BA in Foreign Service and an MBA from Baylor University in Texas.
Jeff McDermott
Treasurer
Mr. McDermott has served on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer for RLT since 2012. He is a lifelong theatre lover – ever since he apprenticed at a professional theatre in high school – and has produced, directed, and acted for several theatres in the Washington area. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Perisphere Theatre, a newly-formed professional theatre in Washington. Jeff received his undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary and his law degree from Georgetown University. He currently serves as an Assistant Inspector General for the Department of State, where he leads the Office of Evaluations and Special Projects, responsible for conducting special reviews and investigations of issues with significant public and congressional interest.
Natalie McManus
Secretary
Ms. McManus is the Educational Outreach Coordinator and Secretary for the RLT BOD. She is a professional Voice, Speech and Presentation Skills Coach – combining her training as a Speech Pathologist, Designated Linklater Voice Teacher, Certified Forensics Coach (public speaking), Actor and Director. Natalie received her BS and MA in Speech-Language Pathology from Penn State Univ. and the Univ. of Iowa respectively. She also trained extensively with Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA. She taught theatre voice at GMU, and Shakespeare workshops in middle schools for many years. Natalie volunteers with Metropolitan Washington Ear, reading/recording news for the blind. Acting credits at RLT include Arsenic and Old Lace (Martha Brewster); Radium Girls (Mrs. Fryer/MacNeil); Book of Days (Martha Hoch); To Kill a Mockingbird (Miss Maudie), and An Inspector Calls (Mrs. Birling). She has performed in lead roles for numerous other area theatres for several decades.
Laura W. Andruski
Ms. Andruski, a Rockville resident, is an award-winning director of Equity, regional, educational and community theatre productions. For RLT, she has directed Murder on the Orient Express, Pride@Prejudice*, Rumors, Sherlock’s Veiled Secret, The Miracle Worker, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Nerd, and A Flea in Her Ear. Other local credits include Jack and The Beanstalk, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Brigadoon, and The Music Man. Recently retired, Laura previously worked as the Theatre Coordinator for the Arts Barn in Gaithersburg. She received her undergraduate degree in theatre/communications from Rider University.
*Outstanding Production/Director, Maryland Community Theatre Festival and Eastern States Regional Festival; American Association of Community Theatre Festival Participant, 2024.
Jerry Callistein
Mr. Callistein has been living theatre since the age of 5. In the 20 years since he moved to Rockville he has been active as actor, director, producer, and mostly as stage manager for RLT, RMT, and other community theatre groups in Maryland and Northern Virginia. . Mr. Callistein also serves on the board of Sandy Spring Theatre Group and helped draft the original RESCO (Rockville Resident Theatre Company) agreements while a member of the Rockville Cultural Arts Commission. He is a graduate of Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management and helps people learn about and start small businesses as a Career Ownership Coach.
Susan Chen
Arriving to Rockville via Taiwan, Texas, Los Angeles and then Japan, Susan has been a City of Rockville resident since 2003. An avid DC theater goer, Susan has never acted but has performed on stage with orchestra and chamber groups as a violinist. She is also active in the community having served on several PTA/PTSAs in various capacities and celebrated 11 years as a Visitor Experience Volunteer at the National Gallery of Art. At RLT, Susan will be focusing on marketing, communications and social media. She is married and has two sons.
Leena Shrivastava Dev
Leena has been performing since the age of one when she ran up on stage during her mother’s fashion show! As a child, she performed Indian classical music and dance which is where she developed her love of performing. Leena has participated in drama classes, workshops and productions at the high school, college, and community level in both onstage and backstage roles. For RLT, Leena has appeared onstage in Arsenic and Old Lace and as Celia in As You Like It for Walking with Shakespeare. Outside of theater, Leena is a general pediatrician with a specialty in forensics. She served as an Assistant Professor at University of Michigan, Drexel University and UMDNJ. Leena attended NC State, UNC – Chapel Hill and University of Michigan. When not pursuing theater or practicing medicine, Leena enjoys riding her road bike and taking care of her garden, pond, and fishes within. She lives in the area with her husband and two sons (who are gymnastics performers) and proud Terps.
Ken Kemp
Mr. Kemp has served on the RLT Board since 2008, including serving as President from 2012-2016. He has worked on numerous RLT productions, both appearing on stage, and serving in various technical roles. As a board member, he has focused his attention on Marketing, Publicity and Fundraising, drawing on over two decades of work in corporate sales and marketing, including 11 years with DisneyABC. He has also served on the board of Damascus Theatre Company, and has a broad range of experience acting, directing, and working backstage with dozens of local community and professional theatre companies. He currently works as a professional actor/singer, appearing in live theatre productions, and in television and independent films all over the DMV area. Ken was born and raised in Rockville, and is a lifelong MoCo resident.
Ex-Officio Board
Meredith Dayhoff
Ms. Dayhoff (she/her) is excited to serve as the Volunteer Coordinator and an Ex-Officio board member of RLT. A passionate advocate for the arts and for inclusivity in community theater, she has directed, produced, and performed in numerous productions across Maryland. Meredith has a background in nonprofit management and social work and brings to RLT her expertise in leadership, community outreach, and grant writing. As a busy mom of two young daughters and a menagerie of rescue animals, she can often be found belting out showtunes while driving her kids to activities. Meredith began her journey with RLT as co-producer for She Stoops to Conquer and is eager to support RLT’s continued success.
Teresa Gillcrist
Ms. Gillcrist’s journey with RLT began more than 30 years ago when she moved to Rockville. She began volunteering with the theatre mainly with stage construction but then took a hiatus to raise a family. Now, as an empty nester, Teresa has expanded her responsibilities to include production, direction and stage management. Notably, she was producer for Pride@Prejudice which earned a spot at the AACT Festival National Competition. Teresa has also been on stage, most recently as Mrs. Wainwright in The Grapes of Wrath. In the daytime you will find her at Wabtec Railway Electronics as a Procurement Specialist.
Aaron Skolnik
A Montgomery County native, Mr. Skolnik is a specialist in technical theatre, serving several local companies as a director, assistant director, stage manager and sound designer. He has stage managed more than 10 shows with RLT and has also appeared on stage in several productions, including RLT’s Murder on the Orient Express. He was awarded Outstanding Stage Manager at the 2023 and 2024 Maryland Community Theatre Festival. Aaron holds a BS in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences from Salisbury University and leads a team of engineers at NASA working to accelerate science using cloud computing. You’ll also find him at your local high school officiating football in the fall
Nancy Somers
A career teacher with 30 years of experience, Ms. Somers is currently a theater educator at Ridgeview Middle School. She has directed school shows for the past 12 years while performing with several local theater groups. Her Rockville Little Theater credits include Mrs. Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer and Greta Ohlson in Murder on the Orient Express. A mother of 4 adult children, she enjoys writing and international travel.